


Kosuzu Reads a Gossip Magazine

by communistkosuzu



Series: Kosuzu Reads [1]
Category: Touhou Project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23376514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/communistkosuzu/pseuds/communistkosuzu
Summary: Kosuzu and Marisa banter about important literature from the outside world like pizza recipe books and gossip magazines and arrive at Wittgenstein-tier conclusions.
Series: Kosuzu Reads [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681306
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Kosuzu Reads a Gossip Magazine

"How shall people learn?"

  
This is a simple question that may be answered with one word: curiosity. For the ancients like Confucius, fulfilling one's curiosity is enough as a method of learning. Let tradition be the guiding flow of one's curiosity and we shall see it be unleashed into the world as wisdom. Its simplicity is truly marvellous.

And yet, it's a theme myths and fables love to explore and deride. Take the myth of a cat who sees something stirs in the darkness and pounces upon it before realizing they've jumped into a pitfall. Such a tale suggests that unrestrained curiosity can lead us humans astray. It seems so contradictory to us living in the present: Why do the bards of the past decry what was deemed a virtue by many?

Does that too mean knowledge is both a blessing and a curse? It has given us the wonders of medicine, but too much of it may make us ignorant to the ways of nature. Our minds are cramped with memories of words and insights that our vision is clouded with illusions and specters.

Such observations may lead us to the bitter conclusion that the question has not been answered yet. It prods us into asking, "Are there varieties of knowledge and curiosities? How do we know if a knowledge or curiosity is good or bad? More importantly, how do we use what we've learned to help us?"

These guide us to uncomfortable discourses about truths, reality, and possibly ways of living. There seems to be no answer in sight and it is doubtful that partaking in the "journey", a concept devised by sophists whose philosophies consist of delusions, is going to be any fruitful.

However, one must confront these questions. These eternal questions of truth and life can only be combatted with a penetrating reason. Immerse yourself into the abstract, speculative realms of knowledge! Acquire the scepter of wit and perceive through the darkness a light of hope! One must equip themselves with a particular mode of knowledge. One has to step outside and walk to XX-XXX and seek out a holistic, historical knowledge.

Open the doors and you shall hear the bells jingle that mark your arrival at wisdom's doors.  
Walk to the front and demand the uncomfortable truths.  
Read and learn about the multifaceted histories of Gensoukyo.

Welcome to Suzuna-an. the one-stop destination for the curious seekers of good knowledge!

..........  
.......  
....

"So how's that as an ad?"

Akyuu snaps back her fan and takes her foot off the table. She leans on the bookshelves of moldy books and folded her hands in confidence.

"I think you should stop recording history. You're better off in tourism."

Kosuzu sighs and takes out a new book from the batch she's received this morning. She wonders if it's a mistake to ask Akyuu for advice in making her bookstore popular.

She surely didn't expect a marketing campaign devised in a matter of seconds.

"What's the matter?" Akyuu sits back on her chair and sips her cup of tea. "Marketing is all about storytelling. Tell a narrative that convinces the audience to step into the room -- that's how you capture people in business. I've told you that before."

"Yep, but it's just not the kind of ad I'm thinking of. I just wanted something tamer. Like some leaflets."

"You say tame as you pick up a gossip magazine. That's more bombastic than any of my ads. I'm actually quite humble. Besides --"

"Don't you have stuff to do?"

"Yes," Akyuu says, "but I love to lecture too."

"Consider becoming a teacher too."

After hearing Akyuu deliver a sermon on the history of stealth marketing throughout the ages and watching her leave at last, Kosuzu's body and mind feel drained.

She lets her body fall upon the table, with her hands stretching out like a zombie.

The wooden clock ticks and the air, once energized by Akyuu's ramblings, calms down into stillness again. Kosuzu could hear the voices of people outside and she wonders if they'll ever come in.

Business has become slow ever since the popular tabloid newspaper, Bunbunmaru, took a hiatus. Kosuzu doesn't knwo the details, but it seems Aya's taking a small break for now. Because of this, very few people come into the store and those who do are her usual regulars looking for antique books written by youkai or niche works from the outside world. All Kosuzu could do was pick up a book, read, and hope business could pick up the pace again.

She tries to nap her sorrows away, but she starts pondering about the voice of the books crying out to be read. A book is useless without someone reading it. Nobody writes not to be read. Words are meant to be deciphered, not hidden from view. Kosuzu starts developing a sense of anguish over the lack of readers.

The last sentence in Akyuu's draft idea pops up in her mind: 'Suzuna-an, the one-stop destination for the curious seekers of good knowledge!' It's got a good ring to it.

Suzuna-an is Kosuzu's pride and hope. It may be an odd bookstore that sells the unconventional and old, but it is also a repository of knowledge and ideas. The smell of old books wakes Kosuzu up more than the strongest tea and she's had more fun reading through miscellaneous books than any other hobby she might be interested in. Her ability to read books and then share it with others has not only given her a livelihood but a sense of purpose -- she can share the joy of books with other people.

The thought pleases her a lot. She can't help but smile as her hand feels for a book on the table to read. Kosuzu touches something glossy and decides to pick it up. She gets up from the table -- her face feeling a bit funny from planting it onto the rough table for too long -- and starts reading.

Ah, it's the gossip magazine that Akyuu is annoyed about.

The bells jingle.

"Yo, is there a book about Italy?"

Marisa, the very ordinary witch who hunts youkai and digs up treasure in her spare time, is waving at Kosuzu with the book that she's borrowed from Suzuna-an yesterday.

"You know, you could damage the book if you do stuff like that. It would cost a lot."

"Yeah, yeah. Say, do you know if there's a book about Italy? I've been interested in that kingdom from the outside world. I just wonder what pizza tastes like. Do you have any book about that?"

Kosuzu stands up and goes to the food section.

"Pizza... I've seen that mentioned in a recipe book around here."

"You mean, I can make pizza?"

"Possibly. I'm not sure how to do it, but" -- Kosuzu finds a hardcover book sticking out from the bookshelf -- "there we go! Delicious Italian Pizzas by Celebrity Chef XXX YYY."

"Thanks, the book I borrowed really went deep into pizza." Marisa picks up the book after Kozusu hands it to her. She skims through the book and starts hmm-ing aloud. "I wonder if I can drag Reimu in getting a pizza cooked. What do you think?"

"I'm interested in how it'd taste at least. I've read it uses tomatoes and something called cheese."

"Right? I've read so much about cheese lately. How do you say it... Mossarella? That sounds fantastic." Marisa taps at a page with her index finger before handing the book back to Kosuzu. "Take a look at this: this pizza looks like it's melting! I wonder if it's spicy."

"Humans outside sure are interesting."

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, it's just some gossip magazine. Nothing special."

"Gossip?" Marisa goes to the table and puts down her book before picking up the magazine. "The paper's flimsy."

"Yeah, it seems that humans outside enjoy reading this kind of literature."

"How do you read this?"

Kosuzu takes out her glasses from her apron and leans into the cover.

"'22 ways to make your man satisfied', I think. I read a bit of it and it's got nothing to do with food or hobbies. Satisfaction in the outside world seems to be closer to sleeping. English is a strange language."

"Sleeping?"

"Just sleeping techniques. I'm not sure what's the point of it besides being uncomfortable with someone else. They say it's fun though and that's why it is quote-unquote 'satisfying'."

Marisa leafs through the pages and finds what Kosuzu's talking about. "You know, Reimu likes to take a million naps. Maybe I should try this to wake her up."

"Is that a good idea?"

Marisa pulls out a thumb's up and a devilish smile.

"Of course, oversleeping is bad for vanquishing troublesome youkai! She needs the exercise anyway."

"If you say so..."

"What's the story behind this gossip magazine?"

"It's like the newspaper Bunbunmaru. Except very little of it is true."

"Huh? That's quite the achievement." Marisa turns the page over to the feature story. "What's this about?"

"A celebrity is found cheating. Ahem." Kosuzu adjusts her glasses. "Their spouse hired a private detective and found out that the celebrity and their mistress were dating in a cafe at the other side of the city."

"So, something banal like this is reported like news."

"Yep.."

"Sounds like a waste of time. You could invest your efforts into something bigger. Something like how to make really good pizza."

"They actually do offer recipes, but it's like weird things called salads. They're supposed to help you go on a diet and lose fat, but I'm not sure what's the point of losing fat. Oh yes, I remember: it also seems the celebrity is really important." Kosuzu goes back to the bookshelves and tries to look for something. "If I recall, they were in a thing called a movie and that was very popular with many people. Mmm, I can't find it at the moment..."

  
"That's fine." Marisa flips to a random page. "Humans outside are so weird. I wonder what kind of knowledge they're looking for if they read stuff like this."

"Who knows." Kosuzu goes back to Marisa and sits on the edge of her desk. "All the books I've gathered have random bits of knowledge that I doubt are useful to know and understand. They're however very interesting."

"Right. Can I borrow this book too? I'm just interested in the sleeping techniques."

"Sure, I'm curious how they'll work out."

Marisa picks up the two books she's decided to borrow. "Alright, I'll offer my thoughts in a week. See ya later!"

Kosuzu watches Marisa run outside and closes her eyes as she focuses on the echo of the store bells jingling.

Is the concept of knowledge just a state of mind? Just another synonym for a mind at ease?

Kosuzu opens her eyes and sees the bookshelves filled with books, magazines, rags, journals -- things that she would never completely understand but her curiosity is always sated from the fragrance of old books.

Maybe, knowledge is less about having curiosity being piqued and searching for new, interesting books to broaden one's horizons but more about meditating on what she doesn't know yet. Adding new information muddles her perception of the world, but if she can rearrange it with the gaps in mind she could have a clearer vision about her surroundings. Appreciating the absence of what she hasn't yet understood gives her the motivation to keep her bookstore open.

"I should modify what Akyuu's given me," Kosuzu thinks aloud to herself, "I don't think it's the one-stop destination she thinks it is. The bookstore is here to silence the mind from curiosity itself and allow us to be content. How should I go about saying this? Hmm..."

She picks up another book and starts reading again.

But then, the bells jingle once more.

Without realizing, Kosuzu says, "Welcome to Suzuna-an, the bookstore of peace! How may I help you?"

Those words echo in the bookstore as if serenity is just a sound books make when it's being closed. Kosuzu is startled by how well it sounds and starts chortling, confusing her customer.

"Ah, it's nothing," she says. "I was just thinking about how books give us peace in the end."


End file.
